My program of research reflects my interests in the following areas: clinical human psychophysiology, the role of behavior in the etiology, treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disorders, and the role of emotions and coping as they relate to clinical and experimental pain. Related to this research but not exclusive of it, my program also explores 1) the influences of situational/contextual and trait factors on the smoking behavior in everyday settings as well the contribution of individual differences such as personality factors, gender, and ethnicity in nicotine-dependence susceptibility to patterns of cigarette smoking across the life span; 2) the neurobiological mechanisms contributing to trait hostility, aggression, and impulsivity; and 3) the significance of repressive and defensive coping styles for behavior, emotions, memory, psychophysiological functioning and health.

My research group's work can be described as "social-psychopharmacological" examining the degree to which traits (e.g., gender, ethnicity) and behavioral predispositions (like hostility, impulsiveness, depression, ADHD) determine the subjective, memory, and cardiovascular effects of various drugs (e.g., nicotine, endorphinergic blockade, anti-hypertensives), and how these interactions are, in turn, affected by social and environmental contexts.